We have good friends who had a Keeshond, and he was a fabulous dog! Very smart and very affectionate and very well mannered... and a nice mid size!! So, I would second that as being a good possible choice. He did have a lot of hair, but not as much as in the picture. And you could always give a shorter cut for the summer if he was going to spend time in water, etc. I know they took him to be groomed regularly. I don't know how much he shed...but I don't think it was much. Now they have two mixed breed adopted dogs, both very good natured...but one had $4000 worth of vet bills for hip surgery
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I like Shelties for a mid size dog, but they have a lot of hair, too...and I think they must shed. I've only known two, and both seemed very smart and well trained.

We had friends who had a Spitz. He was smart and nice, too, but again...the HAIR!

I know... how about a Wheaten Terrier kept with a pet cut...lol. I'll let you know how this goes ~ .

Cara

Your Chelsea does have a nice personality! I like the pics of her on the couch and chair (with her blankee)...LOL

Did she really catch a fish herself? Those shots are similar to our summer place too.

I am going to do some research now on the Keesh... sheesh! Lots of possible word puns there as well!
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I really hate to praise cross breeding, but this was kind of for a good cause. The Labradoodle and Cockapoo are probably the best crosses I have seen to date regarding all aspects of behavior and stamina.

The Labradoodle is wildly expensive if you go through a breeder. They are bred because they are hypoallergenic dogs. Furthermore, you need to be very careful because people will continue to breed mother/son - son/daughter - daughter/son, etc. to accomplish a small dog, resulting in health complications.

These dogs (I've met several) have the best disposition I have EVER seen. I have never found such smart, kind, loyal dogs until I ran into these types. I am just amazed by the mix of them. I hate that people do this, but I must say - it's good for people who couldn't have dogs due to allergies. Plus, they really are the best of both worlds. You have the loyalty, love and stamina of a Lab mixed with the more calm/content and intelligent side of a poodle. The true breed should be with a smaller lab and a smaller, but standard poodle. Not toy breeds. They should be around the size of a large cocker or a springer. I am around 100 pounds and can handle these on my lap, they are a nice size.

Now a Cockapoo, God bless those cute boogers. These are a bit more compact, but not by much. The true Cockapoo should be a mix of a Cocker Spaniel and a Standard Poodle. Anyone who breeds a miniature or toy poodle with a cocker is just trying to get a small cute dog. These should grow to be the size of a cocker, anything smaller is probably going to have a toy mix in it. These would be good lap dogs, but from what I have seen - they may require a bit more training than a lab-doodle. My mother bred cockers, so I have seen quite a bit of various personalities they carry. Some tend to be a bit more stubborn than others. Hopefully, you get more poodle when it comes to that.

Again, I hate breeders but I will praise the behavior of many dogs mixed with poodles because they are so smart. I begged for a Labradoodle, but we can't find one to adopt or rescue and I will not go to a breeder because these days they are breeding with their offspring because they "need to be smaller" to be in style.
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I'd personally say if you have the land for the dog to run on and a city life, the Labradoodle seems like it would be a great match for you. You may have to look hard if you plan to adopt though, most people who get them keep them.

Edit: PS: My Maltese loves sweaters and shirts. She gets cold a lot, so if I hold up a shirt she runs her face right into it. She hardly plays with toys (maybe twice a month) but loves blankets and pillows. We buy her blankets for her Bday and Christmas, not toys. If you throw a toy, she looks at you like, "Hey, you dropped something" and walks away.

The shih-poo loves dog socks. My dogs are weird, but when he puts his socks on he runs really fast. I use them to keep his feet out of his ear. Not to gross you out, but this is funny.

He puts his foot in his ear, digs out wax, smells it then eats it. The socks are necessary. If you could see him (he's so gross) you'd understand. lol.

Heh, and here is a fine example of why I dislike people who buy dogs without looking into breeds.


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Sigh...

makes me wish i lived in california...
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i will say that telling da monkeys that they have to keep their rooms clean if they want a dog has really worked! might just have a new addition to the family soon.
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They are also making Golden Doodles...Golden Retreiver and poodle mix. Some turn out very cute and some turn out looking funny, and I did recently talk to someone who got one and it SHEDS. One certainly runs a bigger risk of shedding if mixing with a Golden Retriever!

I grew up with a pure breed miniature poodle. He was VERY SMART, but had some issues (like running away (male) and peeing and pooping in the house when he was MAD). We almost got a poodle this time around, but we were looking at pure breds at a dog show and they all seemed really high strung. MY poodle was never that way...he had the calmest of temperments. A mix might be better.

Cara

Mrsd,

She had the best personality ever. She was so easy to handle - she used to ask for permission to sit on the furniture -- she would look at the couch, look at me, make a tiny little whine noise, and wait for me to say 'Ok, up" before she jumped onto any furniture... and if I said "no" she would listen immediately and go lay on her doggie bed instead.

That particular fish that is in the pictures she did not catch herself, she "helped me" while I was on the dock with the net. Once I caught the fish in the net I put it in that bucket and then she 'caught it' out of the bucket.

She had caught her own fish several times, but she would get so involved in catching them that she almost drowned herself because she stuck her head under the water to get the fish and forgot to come up for air... after that incident, I would help her catch her fish... and she was so good that she would stand on the dock and watch me and wait for me rather than just jumping in to do it herself.

She could go from running around with fish or running and chasing chipmunks -- and in one second all I had to say was "that's enough" and she would immediately stop chasing stuff and follow me inside and become a cuddling lap dog forgetting all about hunting her chipmunks and fish.

She was also trained to poop only in the woods - so that when we were here at home in the condo complex I didn't have to pick up dog poop when I walked her.

She also knew how to stop and wait before crossing the street or driveway. Whenever she got to a curb of any kind she would sit and wait until I said "Ok, go" before walking across the road. Where we live, to get to the woods we had to cross the condo road, and it didn't matter how badly she needed to go potty, she would sit and wait at that curb until I said go.

Teaching her to go potty in the woods and teaching her to stop at the curb took about 3 days each. She was just so smart that she understood things very easily, which made her a great dog because I could teach her almost anything in a short amount of time.


As for grooming - I would take her once a year (at the beginning of the summer) to get shaved. Other than that, I did all of her grooming myself. She was easy to brush, and the only trimming that I did on a regular basis was her hind legs and tail so that her rear-end area wasn't full of fluff. I also trimed her nails and the fur on her feet myself. She needed to be brushed once every 7-14 days, and she needed her nails and hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks.

I could talk about her for hours and hours.

Liz

I remember my vet once told me two things.

If you stare at your dog and he/she looks away first, you have control.

If your dog literally walks on you, you do not have control.

My dog (the older of the two) will literally jump on my face, walk across me then lay down and kick at my head until he has my pillow. He also will stare long enough you look away first.

The maltese is more gentle, but she'd probably walk on us if she were tall enough to jump on anything. We have to lift her up, if not - she squeals like a deflating balloon (it's the most abnormal sound ever).

On the bright side, I've never had a boss that was so darn cute!
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Ellie,

You are so right about control. The human is supposed to be the Alpha of the pack...

What you said also reminded me of yet another reason Chelsea was so cute and lovable and easy - everytime I told her she was a bad girl ot gave her "that look" (the "you have been a bad girl" look) she would roll over and stick her belly in the air... it was so cute, but it also demonstrated that she knew that I was the alpha of the pack.

Because it was so cute and because she looked so pathetic when she did it, it would make me laugh or smile almost everytime she did it... but she would stay there until I said "ok" or until I rubbed her belly.

I just can't believe that it has been 18 months since she passed away and I still miss her like crazy.

I'd like to point out it is Alex and NOT me who corrupted the dogs. If he isn't home, they obey me. If he's home, they walk all over me. My Maltese PEED on my BED and he pet her after I scolded her. He is a sucker, such a softy and has an excuse for everything.

He will say something like, "But she came from a bad place and doesn't know any better". I explain, "When her tail lowers, she knows she peed and it's a bad thing. She knows that and she knows you will give her treats when I scold her".

Seriously, he is the worst person to train dogs. Our larger dog stole my chicken wing once and it took both of us to pry his mouth open. My maltese would know to spit it out, but if Alex would do that to her - she'd bite him (she is food aggressive, shes from a mill so we just can't break her of it).

Our next dog, i will not let him near it.